Down The Chute

#25-100 Motif Challenge

...the garbage chute that is! 

That is where this tatting very nearly left my apartment late last night before I realized I could not find it.  

I had left it on the kitchen counter, under a paper towel, where it had been drying beneath a vase.  The vase had been returned to the cupboard, but I got distracted and left the kitchen to do something else, leaving the towelling and its contents on the counter.

When I returned, I noticed the paper towel, and proceeded to wipe up after the cat - his old food, his dish and other remnants of the day. After the tidy-up was done, I left the kitchen.

When I realized I could not find my newly tatted motif, I was mystified.  I went back to the kitchen thinking it must still be drying under the vase.  Nothing.

Finally, I knew that I had to go through the garbage and I was chagrined.  Not because of the filthy cat-food and the need to now wash and re-press the motif - if it was indeed in the garbage, but because I had done it yet again.

You see, I am known for this peculiar character trait.  I throw things indiscriminately into the trash. There have been several incidents at work when I had to be issued a new pay cheque.  Yes, you have the right image in your head!

I come by this naturally.  My grandmother flushed money and even her wedding rings down the toilet.  Don't ask.

Daisy Picot Pattern by Jon  My first daisy picot pattern!
#20 Lizbeth

Stawasz Surprise

Yup. A Jan Stawasz pattern. I had to be ill and very bored to get up the gumption to try this one! His patterns have always intimidated me for some reason.

#24-100 Motif Challenge

As he has his own distinct method of tatting the double stitch, I had to adjust the pattern. The coloured markers did help.

Because I was lazy and rather feverish, I did not make my own diagram, which would have made the process a lot easier and faster!  I relied on this one and predictably got confused with every repeat I tatted.

There are a number of minor errors that I did not catch early enough to correct, and I ran out of thread with one repeat to go.  However, it is finished, and... not bad!

The thread is Lizbeth #20, from one of the few balls I have left of the old stuff, and it was twisty and inconsistent.  I will be so glad to use some of the new #40 Lizbeth thread that I am eagerly waiting for the postman to deliver. Can't wait, actually!

**************

Once I had finished the motif, I was eager to hunt for a comment from a reader of tat-ology about daisy picots.  I could not find the comment. After reading about 400, I gave up.  

This comment prompted me to begin thinking about the technique, which I learned ( I think) in the T.A.T. course at some point, but I had forgotten how to accomplish it, as I have never put it to use.

So, I hunted for a pattern and an explanation; of course Jon provided both.

So far:

I love the way the thread matches my shuttle...  thanks to LaCossette!

Fun with the Flu

I am home in bed.  I cannot believe it!  Four days of this and it is about 13 degrees (Celsius = 55 Fahrenheit!) outside   - bright and sunny and not wintery at all.  My favourite weather. And here I lie, blowing and coughing and disgustingly mucous-ridden!

But, not to be beaten by the dastardly bug, I have taken my shuttles to bed with me, and though there are a few fever-inspired errors and one wonky chain, I have almost completed a pattern I have been itching to tat.  I will post the finished work tomorrow or the next day.

Anybody know what this is?

Dandy Handy Hands

Barbara Foster of Handy Hands rocks. She cares about quality, stands behind her products and is dedicated to  customer satisfaction. Because of her, I am embarking on blazing a new Lizbeth trail.  Me! Stay tuned.

In my cleaning/organizing/weeding frenzy I have decided I do not like the Finca much after all. Told you I was fickle!

So, I will share some of it in the next giveaway, that I have mentioned previously. Someone out there in Tatland no doubt really likes it!

I suppose this could be way of celebrating my 600th post, which I realized I just recently passed.  Worth celebrating, I think. Time sure has flown by fast!

Since I have been ruthless in de-stashing. I now find myself with a very limited supply of thread, but have it in my head to tat with some very basic colours for a while. (We'll see just how long that recent kick lasts...)  I think I am bored  -  *gasp*  -  with tatting and find I am needing something different... Etsy? Selling? Designing? Something. I do not know what, but I am antsy and have become frustrated in just tatting one motif after another...  Hmmmm.

Here is the latest endeavour, red as promised:

#23-100 Motif Challenge 

Orsi's Pattern tatted with Finca #12